Author's notes : Another chapter, yepee. And vacations are over. Boooo. With that new school year to come, my update will likely be more spaced but I will continue to write regulary. And…10.000 views ? I never imagined this could be so read ! Thank you again for your support everyone, and also for your reviews ! They are part of the fuel that help me continue!
Blaise Welshman : Yeah, it was a bit akward and I didn't see it for ''tell''. For 'I am' on the other hand, it is mostly used to show formal speaking. Your satisfaction make me happy too. You'll see, indeed!
Guest : That's something you will have to deduce. I appreciate your compliment, I am still progressing and hope to improve all the way to the end.
NightmareKnight1 : Thank you. I am always afraid of emotional writing, and hearing it touched you make me really happy. And unfortunately, yes, there is no way it will be easy for anyone involved.
Biotech776 : Maybe she will, maybe she won't. On that subject, I have yet to see anyone that like Iago. I mean, he is pretty much the ''Hate that guy ! He is an asshole !'' of the story, and have very few redeeming qualities.
Shad7000 : Would you believe me if I told you that sometimes I feel despicable when I write my stories ? Part of me just want to give everyone a happy ending and ton of hugs. But it doesn't make for interesting storytelling, so…
pt1oef : Thank again for your support and beta-reading ! How special ? She is almost jesus in the main game, so I will on the contrary tone that down a little. However, she is indeed the most well placed to receive some little things there and there.
With everything said, happy reading! If you liked it or have critics to share, leave a review!
The Fiery Queen of Nohr: Part 11
The cold wind lashed Lora's face, snow trying to infiltrate her clothes and armor without respite. Behind her a hundred foot soldiers were chilling under heavy mantles and gloves. The blizzard started raging since they came into the territory of the Ice Tribe, and intuition whispered to the nohrian queen that it was likely not to be an entirely natural phenomenon.
The Ice tribe never received much travelers, especially not Nohr soldiers, and for Ice tribe villagers to react this way was understandable. The temperatures of the mountain were unforgiving, said to kill an unprotected man in less than an hour, and even with especially warm clothes one would have to be cautious, for a single storm could bury them under deadly cold snow. Yet the people of the Ice Tribe lived in those lands without any trouble, showing no concern toward the deadly cold and even possessing a mystic control over ice among some of their members, a gift that was said to come from their antic blood pact with the Ice Dragon. The very cold of the lands, unheard even in territories around their own, was said to be a blessing of the Ice Dragon.
Fortunately, Lora already had experience of those sort of lands, in the depth of the Painted World of Ariandel... Even though she was not undead anymore, her body needing more than just an ounce of life to function, she was far from unprepared. She herself wore the frostbite ring, a magical item protecting more than the heaviest fur she wore.
Furthermore, the dozen mages of Lora's troop were to ward of the cold should it ever become crippling, something they actively did for now about half an hour. If her information was correct, they should arrive in view of the Ice tribe main village shortly. If only her scouts were to come back and announce it, moral would go up considerably. Within the storm visibility was reduced to about ten meters, and soldiers were not cursing it only because they were afraid their tongue would freeze and shatter. The wind brutally changed direction, sending a wall of snow into Lora's eyes.
Where were the scouts? Captured, maybe? Killed? If that was the case, or if they had been spotted, the Ice Tribe would have a precise idea of their position, a disadvantage Lora would not be happy to have. Lora had no cavalry, no flying units, no heavy armored troops, the environment making them all useless.
A shade in the snowstorm approached, waving arms, before revealing itself as one of the scouts. With a foggy breath he bowed before Lora, dusting down the snowflakes on his arms.
"Report. The Ice tribe village is less than ten minutes ahead. About twenty of their men are gathered near the entrance. I could not see if they had weapons.'' Reported the scout, shivering.
"What of the other scouts?"
"They stayed behind to watch out. It seemed the blizzard is stopping right in front of the village, like by some kind of sorcery."
So, they had been noticed. There was no more use in slow approach anymore, and Lora's soldiers would be better not freezing to death.
"Pass the word, we are close to our goal. All soldiers, full throttle." Commanded Lora.
The scout bowed and ran along the column. Soon the troops were marching faster, fighting the blizzard with a new determination. Then like an enchantment, the sky cleared to reveal a cloudy noon. The wind ceased, the snow disappeared. In front of the nohrian queen was now an open field leading to the entrance of a large village.
Just like the scout said, there was twenty-two men and women. Lora could notice that none of the villagers seemed to be wearing more than light clothes, proving that the cold really did not bother them. However contrary to the scout report they did wear weapons, mostly axes and some spears, all made of fine looking steel. But her eyes were set on the one appearing as the leader, a step further than the other: a man with sharp figure and bluish hair, dressed in a lightly armored robe showing his muscled chest.
"Halt, norhians. I am Kilma, leader of the Ice Tribe, and I won't allow you to progress any further into our lands." Declared the now named man with a strong voice.
The proud declaration was followed with spiraling snow from his body, sending cold wave toward the soldiers. There was little doubt now: The Ice Tribe possessed mystic power over ice. Lora took her heavy mantle away, revealing the ornamented armor of Lorian before stepping forward.
"I am Lora, queen of Nohr, and I come to parley with the leader of the Ice Tribe."
"I do not care for what scheme you have, but this is not your kingdom. The Ice Tribe does not welcome strangers, especially if they come in arms."
Despite the calm and collected tone of Kilma, the wind intensity abruptly increased, considerably dropping the temperature as he defied Lora's gaze. Some soldiers started to rise their weapons in answer, the mage trying to protect their comrades from the icy wind.
"Soldiers, sword to sheath!" Decreed Lora strongly. "Chief Kilma, I come to parley, not fight. Those men here are my escort, and I won't tolerate you to indispose them any further. Cease those winds at once."
"The Ice Tribe does not bow to Nohr or its rulers. We never did, and never will. Leave us in peace." Replied the man firmly.
This was enough. Lora made a step forward and reached the warmth inside of her soul. The First Flame was still here. Weak, flickering, pale. And yet, still so terribly powerful! Flame surged from her soul. The world turned to white as everything was bathed in fire, snow and ice vaporizing instantly. When her eyes could see again, the queen felt. Felt her flesh crackle, her muscles melt, her bones split. Everything hot, everything was pain, the pain of burning alive as flames engulfed her whole body. But she could still think. Still act. She would never become a mindless Lord.
Lora saw the scorched ground around, her soldiers back standing in awe, the tribesmen gripping their weapons fearfully. Only their leader was standing still, his calm broken by astonishment as snow was melting all around, replaced by flame no water could extinguish.
"This is your final warning, Leader of the Ice Tribe. I come to parley, but I won't hesitate to use force if you refuse to listen."
It hurt to talk. From Lora's tortured throat came raspy, guttural words, a pathetic attempt at talking to her own ears, yet the First Flame made it a roaring conflagration. Lora made a step forward. Under her foot the snow ground spontaneously ignited. The Ice Tribe warriors made a step back. Looking at his people, Kilma finally regained his composure and raised his voice.
''Queen of Nohr, I accept your offer of parley.''
Lora barely heard Kilma's words at first. Amidst her mind muddled with pain, she nearly ignored the plea. Then she restrained the flame. The fire ceased, the flames disappeared, the air become cold once more as snow fell again on the scorched land. The queen almost stumbled back when the power of the First Flame retreated, trying to hide the sudden exhaustion. The Flame may have been stored into her soul, the Fire returning to embers, yet the pain of her body subsided, and she had to hide her weakness.
''Captain, you will stay outside the village with your men.'' Said Lora in a low voice, too exhausted to speak strongly. ''Unless I grant you permission, do not enter it at all. Am I understood?''
''Yes, your majesty. Perfectly.'' Nodded the commander of her little troop, still in awe.
Lora breathed deeply, her lungs letting out a piercing pain, the magic of the Chloranthy ring she wore already starting to restore her strength. The tribesmen moved aside, leaving her to follow the leader of the Tribe inside the village. She then noticed something: The Ice Tribe was a lot larger than it seemed from the outside, even without snowstorm blocking view. Built near an immense frozen lake there was five gathering of houses, making the village much bigger than it appeared at first glance.
If it came to a battle, Lora's soldiers would have been massively outnumbered. The gathering she previously thought to be the village itself possessed a house taller than the others at its center, without a doubt the leader's living place. Her instinct proved right when Kilma led her inside, and they entered in a small room whose ground was covered in warm fur, with a little wooden table at the center.
Lora sat at the invitation of the Ice tribe leader, who sat in front of her. Before they could talk, a girl with light blue hair very similar to that of the Ice Tribe leader almost stumbled inside, eyes widening in fear and confusion when she noticed Lora.
''Flora, please bring some tea for our guest.'' Calmly asked Kilma.
The girl nodded frantically and ran away in the house. Young as Corrin, thought the queen, or maybe a little older. Her pronounced resemblance to the chieftain indicated with little doubt that it was his child or a close relative. Lora turned back to the man, gathering her strength to speak with more than a whisper when the chieftain started to talk first.
''I usually would never have accepted a stranger in my village like this. However, I am no fool. You would have killed my people to the last if I refused to hear you.''
''Your death is not what I aim for, chieftain.'' Replied Lora in a low, cold tone. ''Nor the death of your people. To do so would be a waste.''
''Of course. You nohrian only ever sought to enslave the Ice Tribe.''
The accusation hung in the air, the truth of such statement undeniable. According to Garon, the Ice Tribe had always been a thorn into the nohrian royalty side. Their mere presence was the absolute proof that they could not control their entire territory, and none of the expeditions sent to subdue them worked in centuries. The Ice Tribe either defeated them or they retreated deeper in the mountains, waiting for the nohrian troops to freeze to death. Garon himself abandoned the idea at the time, thinking of it as a waste of resources. Until Hoshido became unattainable.
''For all its faults, Nohr does not support slavery. You will become our vassal, no less.''
''There is no distinction between those two situations.'' Retorted Kilma.
The door opened again. The same child as before was holding a pot of smoking liquid and two little goblets, the scent unmistakably identifying the drink as tea. She put all of it on the table before looking at her father worryingly, who sent her outside with a nod.
''Name it as you wish. If you submit peacefully, no harm will be done to you and your people. Your lands will stay yours, your laws and custom untouched. In exchange, you will only have to pay tribute and swear fealty to Nohr.''
The chieftain filled the two goblets of tea as she stated her terms, impassive. Lora didn't touch her own, wary and waiting for an answer.
''Don't play dumb, queen of Nohr. We have no riches for you to snatch other than the lives of our peoples. If we are to die fighting, it will be against you. Even if we are going to battle a daughter of the Fire Dragon itself.'' Declared the chieftain, drinking his own goblet in one go and starring at Lora defiantly.
Lora felt her respect for the man grow. In other circumstances, in another time, she could have agreed. But she too, had people to watch for.
''We have enough soldiers as it is, chieftain Kilma. A fourth of your harvest, every three months. Such is the tribute we ask of our vassal.'' Rectified the queen, gazing into her interlocutor's cold eyes as she delivered her next words. ''Refuse, and I will burn this place to the ground until your people surrender.''
There was a moment of silence as the chief was visibly pondering her threat. Deep inside Lora hoped Kilma would not resist. This was the most generous offer she could do. Otherwise, she would have to resort to brutal subjugation, then taking prisoners to insure their continuous bondage. And she would have to do it as Lord of Cinder, a dreadful eventuality. The exhaustion partly faded away, but another transformation would likely make her powerless for some time. Looking at the tea, the queen made a handful of flowered purple moss appear in her hand before tearing the little white flower into the liquid. Her stock was dwindling. But it was better than risking of being poisoned again, she thought drinking the tea.
''I never thought I would say this, but you give no choice. The Ice Tribe yield to you, queen of Nohr.''
Neither Kilma's tone nor his eyes spoke the same language as his mouth, but it didn't matter to Lora. As long as the Ice Tribe submitted for the time being, a later rebellion was of no importance. She drank her whole tea. Hot yet refreshing, an unusual taste.
''Then I will take my leave. Fifty soldiers will stay in the village as permanent garrison. I expect them not to freeze and die by the time their replacements come, every three month'' Lora said getting up.
''This was not present in your terms.'' Hissed Kilma, still sat.
''Do not play dumb, chieftain.'' Shot back the queen with his own words. ''Left without surveillance, you could easily subvert your oath. Be thankful that I did not demand hostages.''
The prospect seemed to quiet the man rising in turn. The powers in play were just too unbalanced for Kilma to truly argue, and he was apparently wise enough not to protest too much. Maybe fifty soldiers could be less than enough to keep an eye on such leader, but Lora already gave her word on the matter. And after all, her goal was already achieved. With the earlier fall of Cheve in the south and now the Ice Tribe subdued, Nohr currently controlled the western half of the continent in its entirety. Lora inspired deeply, cold air refreshing her lungs. At last, some peace before the storm that would inevitably come…
Strictly speaking, the great castle of Krakenburg did not possess archives. At least, nothing like the Great Archives of Lothric. Lora never felt at ease inside them, even before the fall of her kingdom: four floors of cramped passageway between never ending shelf of three to four meters high, crumbling under massive amount of books that always seemed to be about to fall. There were so numerous, the scholars prided themselves to have gathered more than every other kingdom united. With the sole exception of Vinheim, but who could surpass the cradle that witnessed the birth of sorcery itself at the dawn of Lordran civilization? The royal castle of Nohr on the other hand possessed only three small libraries. One of them was in the royal apartments, a bigger one was at public disposition for noblemen and noblewomen in the west wing. The last belonged to the court sorcerers and was a place of training, research and learning.
Lora almost exclusively used the second, in no small part to gain better understanding of the kingdom she swore loyalty to. And at this moment she discovered how much their writing was different from the one she knew. It had shocked her as the language was so similar, with only some accent she got accustomed to quickly. Re-learning to read have been painful, no, humiliating as she forgone sleeping for almost a month, something she could not have done without the doping green herbs of Farron, dwindling her stock to almost nothing. It had the surprising effect of making queen Katerina grant her access to the royal library some time after, as the late queen thought she would appreciate. Lora… didn't go in it much, mostly to not disrespect Katerina for the favor her queen did to her. Lora learned some interesting things about the Dragon Veins and the First Dragons though. The only library she never approached was the last, sorcery and black magic being far from both her interest. At least, until recently.
"Check."
The calm voice of prince Leo resonated among the bookshelves. Lora frowned. The youngest prince was crushing her without any visible difficulty. She didn't consider herself bad at chess but was no fool: there was no way she could keep in mind the possible movements of all the pieces at once. Moving her last rook to protect the king, she studied the board as the prince moved a lone pawn at the edge. Prince Leo could go either for a promotion, take another pawn, or try to check again by using his bishop. What to do… The promotion would all but guarantee his victory, but it would take him two other turn to attain it. The check was the most obvious. Taking a pawn would not benefit him that much and would make his queen vulnerable to another of her pawn. Lora finally moved her king away. The prince reacted by eating the pawn, surprising her. She took his queen, he moved his pawn. Then only did she realize her mistake. His rook was now free to put her in check. She couldn't block both the promotion and move her own rook to protect the king. Lora took the pawn with her rook.
"Check."
It was the end. No matter what she chose, the next move of prince Leo would end the match. And indeed, after moving the king away, it was checkmate.
"Your tactical mind is impressive for one so young, prince Leo."
"Thank you, queen Lora. But chess is not like real battle."
"Practicing with chess is the same as practicing with wooden swords. A training, nothing more. Now, on to your magic. Show me what you have been taught thus far."
The youngest prince nodded respectfully before picking up a spell book with yellow cover. Standing up, they went to the far side of the library, a place specially arranged for training. In front of a sturdy stone wall were placed numerous training dummy, the nearest bookshelves placed at respectable distance at the opposite side. Leo took place and opened the yellow book in his hand, muttering an incantation before gesturing toward the wall. Runes briefly appeared around the book before a lightning ball came out of the blond prince's hand, blowing up on the dummy's torso.
"Good enough." Succinctly said Lora.
"Good enough? I'm offended by such statement."
The snapping voice of Iago came out just before the sorcerer himself, from the shadows of the bookshelves. Pale as ever, the royal sorcerer looked like a spiteful ghost. For all Lora cared, he should as well act like one and cease to appear at all.
"Iago. Is there any relevant reason for you to object?"
"I hope your majesty didn't forget I have been appointed as head instructor of the princes and princess magical training." Retorted the dark mage in a falsely polite tone. "By your own admission, your mastery of magic is far from, how would I say, impressive."
"It is more than enough to supervise the progresses of the prince by myself." Sharply countered Lora. "Unless you went to battlefields behind my back, there is nothing you can teach the prince about using magic in real battle."
Iago turned even paler at the affront. He opened his mouth, closed it, lips forming a single line concealing his venomous tongue.
"I'm still the one in charge of the prince's training, and that casting lacked in both speed and power. Prince Leo may have correctly controlled the spell, but that's all. I will expect more in the future." Spat the sorcerer, storming off the area.
The nerve of that worm. Although prince Leo was not on the level required to be considered battle ready yet, he was still younger than prince Xander when he was first sent to battle. There was such a thing as proper training, no matter what sadistic tendencies the sorcerer satisfied in placing unrealistic expectations on the prince's shoulders.
''The royal sorcerer was right, queen Lora. I have yet to improve the speed of my casting.'' Pointed Leo with clarity.
"In sorcery, control is what matter the most. Mages without discipline are more dangerous to their allies than to their enemies, but I suppose Iago does not concern himself with such things." Said the queen disdainfully. "Let us continue.''
The prince used wind, then fire, each time demonstrating great control over his magic. However, it indeed lacked in power and speed. And all of those would be necessary if he was to inherit the second divine weapon of Nohr: the sacred tome Brynhildr. Garon never used it, lacking the magical prowess required, and was hoping Leo could be the next wielder.
"This is enough, prince Leo. Your control is strong enough. You know where to better yourself, so I expect improvement in those area."
"I will." Nodded the blond child. "Queen Lora, may I… ask you something?"
The still polite but unusually hesitant tone of the boy she only heard collected intrigued Lora a little.
"Of course, prince Leo. Do ask."
"You talked once about the magic of your land. I would like to learn much more about them."
It was unsurprising. The youngest prince was a well of curiosity and hard work about magic. While at first the siblings trained together under her supervision, prince Leo was now resolute in his choice to favor magic over martial training, unlike his older siblings who took the other path. Lora could not help but being disappointed about it: of all the royal children, Leo was the one with the greatest potential, a precocious genius in all respects.
"Yes, I can tell you about it. Listen. Magic in Lordran is composed of three different branch, each vastly different from the other in its principle and catalyst. The first is Sorcery, the art of shaping one's soul and projecting it in the exterior world, often as shield or projectiles. It requires great intelligence and a lot of studies to master, on top of a soul strong enough to endure the manipulation induced."
The eyes of the prince were focused, with a sharpness unique to them. Neither Xander, nor Camilla, nor Corrin and not even… Not even Azura had such fast grasp on what she had been taught. Not once she had to explain something twice to Leo.
"The second is Pyromancy, often seen as brutish and primitive in comparison to Sorcery. For the most part it is true. Pyromancer direct their inner Fire toward the exterior, often as fireball or firestorm, but they can accomplish surprising things too. I have seen someone breath poison mist, another makes his flesh hard as iron, and even one creating a healing flame."
Pyromancy was not something that could be used without skill and training, contrary to what numerous scholars thought. Cornyx promptly corrected her on that point. Pyromancy was simplistic at heart, but it required great prudence not to be overwhelmed and burnt, the flames always seeking to escape out of control.
''The last magic is the power of Miracle. They are prayers to the gods, tales of heroic acts channeling the faith of the user to produce the Miracle itself. The result depends of which prayer have been used and how deep the user's faith is in the gods. Great devotion is necessary even for the simplest. The usual cleric would heal wounds, but faithful warriors could bless their weapon and call upon lightning.''
The younger prince kept silent for a moment.
''Could you teach them to me?'' Finally asked Leo.
''… No.'' She declined. ''It may look similar, but there are actually much more differences between what you are taught and those magics in Lordran. When you become more experienced in magic, maybe. But for now, focus on what you are already learning. Understood?''
''Yes, queen Lora.'' Said the prince, masking his disappointment.
There was actually a key difference however between the magics of Lordran and that of this land. All the power needed for pyromancies, miracles and sorceries came from the caster himself, and only from there. Meanwhile, mages of this land seemed to draw power from the world itself, like some sort of ambient force, before adding their own power into it. They also used tomes prepared specifically for one spell in particular, just like the one used by the prince earlier. Those tomes served one primary purpose: battle. With such permanent catalyst and power source, mages could repetitively use one same spell without exhausting themselves too fast. The same process was used for healing staves of battlefield healers. In result, the queen was hesitant to submit the prince to a magical process involving much more investments.
Furthermore, she also would not be able to teach more than the basics. The magical theories of advanced Sorcery were too much for her, Pyromancy required, how Cornyx said it, a "less uptight mind" to be fully exploited. She never let the flame go and it would dampen its power. And Miracles… Footsteps and breathing. In a flash the queen turned to the origin of the sound before recognizing it just before a familiar figure appeared in the alley between bookshelves.
"Greeting, princess Camilla."
"Greeting, queen Lora." Answered the eldest princess with a polite smile, approaching prince Leo earnestly. "I just came here to see how my baby brother is doing."
"I am fine, big sister." Said Leo, cheek slightly reddening. "What are you doing there? I thought you were riding today."
"I was, but I had to announce you the latest new. Next week we will be able to see our little sister at the Northen Fortress, with father's permission."
"You mean Corrin?"
"Yes." Confirmed Camilla, radiant. "Our baby sister Elise is still too young to come but still, won't it be wonderful already?"
"It will surely be, big sister." Agreed the youngest prince in an oddly down tone.
"Oh, you are adorable." Happily said Camilla, visibly ignoring the way her brother reacted in favor of arranging his hairs.
Camilla was definitively blossoming into a beautiful woman, thought Lora as the eldest princess was fully using her superior height and strength to pamper her brother as she pleased, ignoring his vain attempt at escaping. She was steadily losing her girly feature, becoming month after month a more martial image of her mother, the deceased Evelyn. There was only one thing worrying the queen. If the princess was to also inherit the plentiful bust of her parent, she would need tailor-made armors to host it.
"Sister, please stop that! Listen to me!" Pleaded the youngest prince once more, exasperated and embarrassed.
"Alright, alright." Laughed the princess before turning to Lora, her smile once again becoming more sweetly polite than genuine. "Queen Lora, will you be present at the Northen Fortress?"
"Indeed, I will be there too. Princess Corrin is my responsibility."
"Of course it is." Answered Camilla, fangs so strongly bared behind the honeyed words Lora almost mistook the girl for her dead mother. "Well then, I will take my leave. See you later, little brother."
As the princess departed, Lora sighed inwardly. She could not fathom why the eldest daughter of Garon was so hostile to her at time.
"You are free to return to your studies, prince Leo. The council is waiting me." Declared Lora.
"Thank you, queen Lora." Replied the young boy, relieved.
Leaving the library, Lora couldn't prevent her thought to spin wildly on their own, coming back to her last reflection before princess Camilla came in. It was true that her knowledge of most magics was not enough to teach more than the basics. But for Miracles, it was different. Elite knights of Lothric were all able to use Miracles: Blessed Weapon most notably. Lora herself have been proficient in their use before. But since she learned what the gods truly did, their lies, their deceits… She lost all faith. The words became meaningless, the prayers empty. She was simply unable to use them anymore…
''Princess Corrin have almost been led out of the fortress?''
The guard captain feverishly. The incident happened a few days before Lora's current visit of the Northern Fortress, and it was obvious the man was already seeing himself sent to the mines. The confinement of the princess was an absolute priority: she was free of her movements inside the dungeon itself and under heavy restrictions inside the fort, but getting outside was forbidden. If anything had happened to Corrin…
"Who did you say was with her?"
"A-a child, majesty. The son of sir Bors called Silas…" Tried to precise the captain before being cut.
"A child. Almost led the princess outside. Without any protection. Despite your surveillance." Lora repeated slowly, an inexplicably strong anger growing inside.
"They were caught before they could leave the fort, majesty! Gunter doubled the guard on the princess and the boy have been confined in the lodge of his father…"
"I thought the punishment for what he did was death."
"The princess said she forced the boy into helping! She argued strongly and forbade the guards to touch him, even sir Gunter…" Precipitately said the captain.
"Enough." Interrupted Lora once more, shutting the nervous officer.
Child or not, it was inexcusable. Corrin could have been hurt or worse, and thinking about it only irritated her even more. It was unthinkable for the princess to have planned it herself. She was never outside enough time to learn the patrol switching time, nor could she precisely know the way out. Only the boy could have known such things. Sir Bors… No, treason was unlikely. A minor noble under fealty to duchess Daniela's house if she remembered correctly, and the latter was loyal beyond doubt. However, his son almost provoked a disaster. Punishment was to be given, although maybe death was too harsh for someone so young.
"Captain Martin, you will inform sir Bors that he will leave the Northern Fortress alongside his retainers and son, and never return to it. Should any of them do, they are to be executed. I leave your own punishment into the hands of sir Gunter. Is that clear?"
"Yes, your majesty, perfectly clear your majesty!" Assured the soldier still sweating as he bowed deeply, but apparently relieved that his head was safe for now.
Lora left the room unceremoniously as she quickly walked toward the bedroom of the princess, passing stairs and corridors like a gust of furious wind. Arriving at the door she came in without knocking, only to discover the princess on her bed, back turned and wrapped in blankets. The young girl almost jumped at the sound of the door before burying herself even more into her cocoon.
"Corrin, it is me."
"Mother?"
"Yes. Now, get out of your bed." Ordered Lora, making the blanket shake a little.
"Are you angry?" Mumbled the girl in a tiny voice.
"I will be even more if you do not talk to me face to face. Get out."
Hesitantly, the blanket was pushed away and the girl came out barefoot on the cold ground, hairs scruffy and eyes ringed with fatigue refusing to look into Lora's own.
"You know you cannot go outside the fortress. You know it."
"But I…" Tried to answer Corrin before being cut.
"No but. You cannot act as you wish carelessly, princess or not. Do you understand?" Insisted Lora strongly.
"Yes. Sorry mother..." Whispered Corrin, dejected.
"Now, be honest with me. Why did you try to get out?"
"Silas just wanted to picnic with me outside, I really want to go outside, the other children always go and I can't…"
Tears were starting to flow from the little princess eyes and she used the large white sleeve of her dress to wipe them without success. So that was why.
"I see." Said the queen, sighing as her anger faded in front of her crying girl. "I will not punish you."
"Sniff, really?"
"Yes, really." Confirmed Lora, kneeling to reach Corrin height and reorganize her hair. "After all, today is special. I did not come alone, your siblings are here too."
"My siblings? Here? Where?" Excitedly asked Corrin as hope gleamed in her watery eyes. "I want to see them!"
"Patience, little princess. For now you need a bath and new clothes. You cannot meet them in such poor attire, do you?"
The young girl nodded, all thought of her ruined picnic forgotten. The royal children should be able to distract her, especially if Garon planned those visits to be regular. And with some hope she would quickly forgot that boy she would not see anymore. Corrin will obviously cry and weep, but the lesson would ultimately benefit her, thought Lora. In the future her every action, thoughtful out or not, will bear consequences. It as for the best to learn that lesson now, then one day face a tragedy brought forth by some naive foolishness…